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STUDENT DEBT CRISIS DOES NOT REQUIRE A BIG GOVERNMENT SOLUTION

Kudos to WSJ for maintaining focus on the student debt crisis and offering its pages to voice various views. On Wednesday, August 10th, the Journal printed my Letter to the Editor — see the full letter below.

My view in short: families empowered with better information, tools and services AND the emotional demeanor to choose less expensive schools over “brand-name” schools can avoid excessive student debt. The educational outcome is likely to be excellent and their return on investment substantially better because they did not choose a higher cost, debt laden path.

What do you think?

To the Editor:

My career has been focused on helping families plan and pay for college: 20+ years as student loan investment banker, former CFO of First Marblehead Corporation (NYSE:FMD), school board member, education entrepreneur and, recently, the co-author of “Plan and Finance Your Family’s College Dreams.”

Sheila Bair hits a few of the high notes of the college financing crisis. The root problem: everyone’s to blame. The Congress has tinkered around the edges of a student loan program established in 1965 when it provided many students with low cost loans with caps that nearly covered 100% of education costs. The current Administration’s political response is to find ways to forgive student loans. Colleges have zero incentive to control costs. Some for-profit schools are bogus. Taxpayers appear oblivious to the fact that we pay for every defaulted and forgiven federal loan. Borrowers seemingly prefer the status of victim of greedy lenders and corrupt schools to educated consumer that no one forces to sign a loan note.

College affordability is within the grasp of all families starting with the acceptance of personal responsibility for the contracts signed. Loans should be the last resort, not the first alternative, to pay for college – no matter what the government or the schools say. Families should first use savings, financial aid, scholarships, current income and other “free money.” Then project the total amount of debt that might be needed. If it exceeds the projected first year salary after college, the school is not affordable. Finding a less expensive school, working for a year, living at home or taking any number of other actions is far preferable to being the next headlined poster child in the college financing crisis. This is a solvable problem that does not require a big government solution.

*Also posted on Linkedin

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